People, health and care
- Record regular medicine, the normal repeat-order route and essential care contacts.
- Keep instructions for any medical, mobility, telecare or communication equipment that could be affected by loss of power or internet.
- Ask the care team or equipment provider for a personal backup plan where interruption could affect health or safety.
- Check eligibility for gas, electricity and water priority support, or the relevant Northern Ireland Customer Care Registers.
- Plan for babies, children, pregnancy, older people, disabled people and anyone who may need help understanding or acting on an instruction.
- Agree who will check on a person who lives alone or depends on a carer.
- Include assistance animals and pets, with food, water, medicine, identification and safe transport needs.
Warnings, information and contacts
- Write important household, care, school, utility, insurance and local authority contacts on paper.
- Check that compatible phones have current software and emergency alerts enabled where appropriate.
- Identify official local warning services for the risks where you live, such as flood or weather warnings.
- Keep a battery or wind-up radio, or another independent way to hear updates during a power cut.
- Agree a household contact and meeting point if people cannot return home or mobile service is unreliable.
- Teach children how and when to call 999, at a level appropriate to their age and needs.
Water and food
- Calculate a drinking-water target for the household and add separate needs for pets, baby formula and medical equipment.
- Choose sealed water containers that can be stored as directed and lifted safely by the people who may need them.
- Keep familiar shelf-stable food that can be eaten without cooking or with limited preparation.
- Include a manual tin opener where tins are part of the plan.
- Choose ready-to-feed formula where this is suitable for the baby and household plan, because power or safe water for preparation may be unavailable.
- Rotate supplies through normal use and check dates rather than leaving a separate stockpile forgotten.
Light, communications and warmth
- Keep a working battery or wind-up torch where it can be found in the dark. A torch is safer than a candle.
- Keep suitable spare batteries separate and check them periodically.
- Charge a phone power bank and keep the correct cable with it.
- Gather warm layers, blankets and suitable bedding for the people in the household.
- Check which phones, broadband equipment, heating controls, lifts, door-entry systems and alarms depend on mains power.
- Keep the checklist focused on warm clothing and blankets. Any fuel-burning equipment needs separate current safety guidance and is not covered by this general checklist.
Hygiene and first aid
- Keep a first aid kit and replace used or expired contents.
- Include hand sanitiser, wet wipes, toilet paper and normal personal hygiene supplies.
- Plan for period products, continence supplies, nappies and any other household-specific hygiene needs.
- Keep glasses, hearing-device supplies and other daily aids easy to find.
- Know where to find the current NHS or pharmacy help route for your part of the UK if prescribed medicine runs out unexpectedly.
Home, documents and leaving
- Keep the household plan, identification, insurance details and other essential documents together or easy to collect.
- Know the safest exit routes and an agreed meeting point.
- Learn where household utility controls are, but do not attempt gas or electrical work you are not qualified to do.
- Keep essential keys accessible and consider how everyone would leave, including a person with reduced mobility and any pets.
- Prepare a small bag only for items that would genuinely be needed if officials advised you to leave.
- If there is a fire, leave immediately, stay out and call 999. Do not delay to collect belongings.
Review the checklist
- Every few months
Check dates, batteries, stored water, food rotation, contact details and whether the torch and power bank work.
- After a household change
Review after moving, changing suppliers, starting treatment, changing care arrangements or adding a child or pet.
- During an incident
Use the checklist as background preparation, then follow current instructions from emergency services, public authorities and utility providers.
What this checklist cannot do
Adapt it to your household and the incident.
No general checklist can cover every medical need, disability, property, hazard or evacuation. Clinical plans, equipment instructions and live official directions take priority. Call 999 if someone is in immediate danger.